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this forum making hold out for a better tesla?

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I just notice my desire to get a tesla has wane quite a bit the more I participate in this forum.


In the beginning, I was really a tesla fan after the first test drive. I discovered and participated in this forum and at the time, it only convinced me I will be buying a tesla by end of the year. However, now that I have much more information and issues and such about the tesla from this forum, it is making me want to wait more for the perfect tesla, both in price and features.


IMO, it is still quite expensive and with more competitions coming up, I feel, the price will fall or features will greatly increase or both to out compete against other car manufactures.


That being said, I still want a tesla, but not in its current form and definitely not at its current price even if I can afford it. So I am in the camp of those who are waiting it out to see what will tesla and other car manufacture will introduce.


I guess the best analogy is to process is drugs. Once I got a taste, I was hooked. However, this forum is acting like a weaker version of the addictive drug so it helps ease me off the addiction. LOL.


Have any other on the fence people feeling the same way?


EDIT:
Just as a comparison on what I am doing when recommending teslas to friends. In the old days, I would be a staunch advocate and would recommend to my friends to get it right away if possible. However now I see myself more and more telling them to wait it out if they can because better cars are coming out.
 
Yes and no. Knowing the technology is advancing and knowing the giga factory is being built and knowing they announced model 3 and knowing 2017-2018 is a key year for electric cars, but I really want a tesla. Instead of busing, I went with leasing to satisfy that want and buy when lease is up.

by that point, the model 3 might be out, they are up and running with giga factory, the battery will be cheaper, the electrical car technology will be more stable, and they will be a heck more super charger.
 
For me it was a mixed bag. To start with the car itself wasn't exactly what I wanted. I'm not a huge fan of massive cars and the Model S is a massive car. So it was never going to be an easy decision

Aside from that two key issues contributed to my own delay in getting a Tesla until recently.

The first issue was all the unknowns involved. This forum played a large role in making it seem like not quite such a huge leap, but it also made me question some of the reliability issues. Even though I know this forum isn't a good statistical indicator.

The second issue was the constant struggle between options and price. Tesla did not make the decision easy until the 70D.

Without question it was the hardest car buying decision I've ever made.

When I got the car I financed it where I planned on keeping it for 36 months and then decide what to do. Leasing wasn't an option because I live in WA State and I got the car before the Sales Tax exemption ended.

Do I regret waiting? Not at all. Waiting worked out great for me because I do the 70D with next gen seats, and auto pilot. For me I knew exactly what bugged me about the car so I waited till most of those things were corrected.

The biggest impact this forum had - It kept the Tesla in the forefront of my mind keeping competitors at bay. When someone delays they're not necessarily choosing something else. The forum might help push someone into being a fence sitter, but eventually they'll come over.
 
My decision wasn't so difficult. :)
This forum is great. Just one complaint - they are way too many Tesla fanboys here, it is impossible to have a reasonable discussion with them especially if that includes critiquing the car.
 
These are all the same issue associated with buying any new technology product. The Tesla is more like a computer or an Apple product than a car. You can always wait for the next iPhone, Apple Watch or whatever.

I did something with my Tesla that I haven't done in 15 years - I leased it. It's probably the more expensive approach but ultimately I admitted to myself that the car is basically a toy that I'm getting for myself (my BMW is a perfectly good and fun car but I want a Tesla). And if it's a toy I'll probably want to upgrade it at some point much like I want a newer iPhone periodically. Like the iPhone I'll have a year or so where I'm stuck in my lease and others have the newer, better model but then my lease will end and I'll trade and be thrilled with the newest thing once again. Sounds fun to me.
 
I can remember this exact same sentiment in the earlier days of computing. As soon as you bought one it was out of date due to the introduction of a newer, faster, more RAM model. There is no doubt that Teslas are going to get better. Just in the 18 months I have had mine they have gotten wonderfully better. But I have been driving mine for 18 months now and that experience has been totally delightful. If I had waited until now to purchase I would have missed out on 18 wonderful months of Tesla Moments and the thrill of instant torque. Wait as long as you can, or as long as you want but just think about what you are missing in the meantime. By all means though, continue to tell your friends to BUY NOW. The more they make and sell, the quicker they will be building the one you want.
 
Kutta:
I have read your post with interest.
As the Options by Year Wiki shows, there is and never will be a final or best Model S in the foreseeable future.
The Model S evolution appears to be constant.
Changes and refinements "just appear" with zero to little announcement on Tesla Motors part.
Take for instance the appearance of the New Pano Roof and the 4G LTE rollout.... not a whisper in writing from TM. Just an Elon Musk aside on the 4G.

In my case, I am also on the side... awaiting funding to "mature"... I will probably say "PULLL" in late November for a late March 2016 delivery of my P85D (or whatever it will be called by then).

Been here for over a year... so I am fully versed in watching the evolution and revolution of the S....
 
I bought a 2012 85kWh.
After I bought it I saw better batteries, parking sensors and a winter package added in the first year.
I would have loved having those. However, I would not have traded in the experience of driving the 2012 I owned in order to wait for the added extras.

Since than many other options have been added and we did recently trade in our 2013 60kWh for the new 70D.

The technology is growing very quickly, and Tesla, as a car company, is also growing very quickly. Something better will always be around the corner. If you wait for the perfect car before buying, you will never buy.

As for reliability, the newer cars are much more reliable than the early cars.
Just remember two things:
First, it is far more common to hear of complaints on a forum than praise. That is just the nature of Internet forums.
Second, at least for me, the number of issues that arise is not nearly as important as how the company addresses those issues. If a car has one issue in ten years, yet getting it fixed is a pain, that is worse than a car that has ten issues in ten years, yet takes no time or money out of my pockets.
 
While I do agree that taking the dive is worth it, and that any extra time spent with the car is worth the lost opportunity of new tech, I do think that it is worth waiting when there is a high probability of imminent change.

With model X just around the corner (according to some threads it may even be unveiled later this month) I have decided to postpone my Model S by a few months just in case there are some upgrades to the Model S when Model X is released. To me at least, it seems likely that this would be a logical move for Tesla.

I opted for patience this close to potential change, and be one of the first to have a car with whatever new tech is released.

If however I am wrong, and after the Model X unveil Model S remains the same, I will still be happy :)
 
In general, the time to purchase a hi-tech item is within a short time after new features are shipped. If you wait for the next improvement you'll always be waiting as there will always be newer-better-faster-cheaper just around the corner.
 
My decision wasn't so difficult. :)
This forum is great. Just one complaint - they are way too many Tesla fanboys here, it is impossible to have a reasonable discussion with them especially if that includes critiquing the car.

Please stop with the 'fanboys' insults. You and a few others throw that around to insult people you disagree with. Same if someone called a person a troll. They'd get defensive and can see what others do the same the other way around.

So you're saying criticism of the car isn't allowed here? There are hundreds of threads dealing with issues. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't make them a 'fanboy'. Maybe they've actually owned a Tesla for 4+ years and have a ton more experience with the company than someone like you who doesn't even own one yet. They simply have a different perspective.
 
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I can remember this exact same sentiment in the earlier days of computing. As soon as you bought one it was out of date due to the introduction of a newer, faster, more RAM model. There is no doubt that Teslas are going to get better. Just in the 18 months I have had mine they have gotten wonderfully better.

Good comparison. When I got my P166 computer, it cost me $1600. I could have waited, and the price for the P166 would go down, but newer technology would come in and be slightly cheaper. If I had waited for the newest technology and best price, I would still be waiting to buy a computer. With the Tesla, at some point you have to decide to pull the trigger or else you will be waiting for a bigger battery, or LTE, or cheaper price, or...
I don't have all the new fancy features in my 2014 classic 85, but it doesn't make my drive any less enjoyable. And I spend more than double on this car than I normally do.
 
If you're getting younger, wait. For me, life's far too short not to be driving one right now.

Right. If you are going to be swapping cars every 3-5 years in any case, why wait? For me, I already waited enough from 2011 (when I became aware of the coming introduction of Model S) until I got my own. and I am DEFINITELY not getting any younger.

- - - Updated - - -

My decision wasn't so difficult. :)
This forum is great. Just one complaint - they are way too many Tesla fanboys here, it is impossible to have a reasonable discussion with them especially if that includes critiquing the car.

+ 1
 
With model X just around the corner (according to some threads it may even be unveiled later this month) I have decided to postpone my Model S by a few months just in case there are some upgrades to the Model S when Model X is released. To me at least, it seems likely that this would be a logical move for Tesla.

I'm with you here. I too believe there is a high probability of MS updates along with the X release. It makes complete sense that Tesla would do this to keep MS sales from stalling (as a share holder, they'd better do this). So like you, I'm waiting for that event.

A couple things I expect to see are: 360 camera and a nose job. That alone would be worth the wait for me. Of course I'm hoping for more :).
 
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Thanks for the comments.

Whike i do agree i am missing out on something, i dont think it is much. I currently own a spark ev and it is a blast to drive, park, and with the dc fast charge, the occassional out of town trip. I guess that will have to do for now.

As others have pointed out, i guess i am young enough to wait it out. Some people do not have the luxury of more time like i do. I guess i will have to guage it when i make the recommendation. If my friends are too old, i will have to recommend to buy. If they are young, i will tell them to wait it out. I just dont want them to feel buyer's remorse like those who ordered the model s just before the awd model with all its new features with not that much more money.


As for the comments on waiting forever for the perfect car, i dont think it applies here. For the cost to benefit ratio now, i think it is still too expensive even if you factor in the opputunity cost. At least in my case where i can wait it out unlike others who cant.

Edit:
Yes i have taken the necessary precautions to filter out the fanboy and tsla investor comments.
 
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Thanks for the comments.

While i do agree i am missing out on something, i dont think it is much. I currently own a spark ev and it is a blast to drive, park, and with the dc fast charge, the occasional out of town trip. I guess that will have to do for now.

If you have a Spark EV, you are already enjoying the benefits of electric driving....great. The additional power consumption/depreciation/insurance expense/tire expense of the Model S can be a shock to the system - I say this coming from a Chevy Volt. Your power bill will go up about $10 or so over Spark. For me, tires are the biggest expense after depreciation. Volt tires can easily last 50k miles.

Of course, for the person coming from a Mercedes/Lexus/Audi/BMW the Model S seems super efficient and inexpensive.